2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About: Where Are They Now?

The NFL draft has come and gone and the 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About class represents the best year ever for our prospects. For the first time in our history of the series, all but one prospect found a home on an NFL team, but we are not counting out Montana’s stand-out WR Jamaal Jones. Teams are still signing undrafted free agents.

The 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series is a continuation of what has been the cornerstone of YDCFF since day one. This is the first time that it not only produced a first round pick, but of the ten prospects we profiled, 8 got drafted. Unfortunately, we never got to publish the scouting reports on many others prior to the draft that also found homes.

Matt Judon:Baltimore Ravens round 5. Judon was the 1st prospect in our 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series. I recently heard former NFL scout, Bryan Broaddus, mention during the Cowboys Break podcast that excellent players just have a way of falling in to Ozzy Newsome’s lap. Nothing could be further from the truth where Matt Judon is concerned. This kid is an at6hletic freak of nature that led the nation with 20 sacks and took the world by storm with an outstanding showing at the 2016 NFL Combine. It is our belief that he will develop in to the best pure pass rusher in this draft. The Ravens have always been known as a defensive minded team and I can’t think of a better coach not named Rod Marinelli to develop him than John Harbaugh. I firmly believe Judon is a better fit in Marinelli’s defense though. I will maintain that Matt Judon has more upside than Dak Prescott and filled a more immediate need. The Cowboys had three QBs and had no right defensive ends. If Prescott was a major improvement over Jameil Showers, I would feel differently, but that isn’t the case.

Matt Judon has the height and length I look for in a defensive end and a wide, powerful upper body to go with it. He has a slim mid-section and thick muscular legs that give him explosive burst out of his stance. Above average snap anticipation and converts his speed to power well. Non Stop motor and top notch endurance. Elite athletic ability. Moves very well laterally and in reverse. Uses his speed to impel across the face of the blocker. Smooth athlete with good bend and flexibility to get skinny and stunt back inside. Plays with good arm extension to keep tackles at bay.

Matt Judon plays with excellent balance when turning the corner and knows how to get under the arms of the tackle. Relentless in pursuit and exhibits above average closing speed. Can play in close quarters or in space. Solid form tackler who takes good angles. Good instincts and always around the ball. Gets his hands up to disrupt passing lanes. Has the athletic ability to drop in to coverage. Plays with patience. Excellent read-react skills. Long strong arms make it difficult for ball carriers to get around him. Good character and high IQ.

(AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

D.J Reader: Houston Texans round 5. Reader was the second prospect in our 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About Series. Nose Tackle is by far the most under appreciated position on the defense, yet imperative to it’s success. The Cowboys have continued to neglect drafting this position and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Reader is another prospect I would have taken over Dak Prescott.

DJ. Reader played both ways in high school along the offensive and defensive lines, but was recruited by colleges as a guard. Upon arrival at Clemson, the coaches decided he was best suited to play defensive tackle and it proved to be a wise decision. He had 40 tackles, three quarterback pressures and one pass breakup in 236 snaps over 13 games as a true Freshman: averaging one tackle every 5.9 snaps, one of the best figures on the team.

Dj. Reader has a mammoth thick frame with impressive upper body strength… Looks the part of an NFL Nose Tackle… Very athletic for a big man and has excellent feet… Saw time at FB for Clemson… Good burst out of his stance… Above average power at the point and able to hold up against double teams… Played at both NT and the 3 technique…

It’s obvious he was recruited as a guard because of his initial quickness, balance, quick, active feet and ability to anchor… Has above average agility and it shows in traffic… More times than not he is the low man, understands leverage and uses it to expel blockers… Able to stack and shed, move well laterally and make plays all along the line… Has the power to split a double team… Powerful bull rush that collapses pockets… Flashes the ability to get up field as a pass rusher, but best suited as a run stuffer at this time… Simply overpowers centers at the collegiate level…

Austin Blythe: Indianapolis Colts round 7. Blythe was the third prospect in our 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series. You wont find a smarter, better coached, or more technically sound lineman in any draft class. Blythe has started 44 consecutive games for the Hawkeyes at both guard spots and at center.

Austin Blythe has a short, thick, powerful frame that screams I will win leverage battles. Upper body, lower body and overall functional strength is off the charts.. Mauler with some nasty that explodes out of his stance with a powerful first punch that stuns defenders and knocks them backwards. Keeps his legs churning and drives his opponent into the second level. Short arms rarely affect him because he uses his quickness to get his powerful hands placed first, locks on to his opponent, uses his natural leverage ability and controls the line of scrimmage. Good motor always plays through the whistle.

Austin Blythe has a strong base and plays with good knee bend that allows him to anchor well against the bull rush. Very athletic, moves well laterally when pulling and always hits his target dead center with a good pop: many times sending him to the turf. Used as a lead blocker and punishes LBs at the second level. Despite being a mauler he has excellent agility and understands angles to cut off defenders in space and create running lanes. Agile, plays with good balance and has quick feet to mirror his opponent despite appearing a bit stiff in the hips. Excellent outside zone blocker. Uses his quick feet and upper body strength to direct guys shooting the gap away from his QB. Plays with NFL ready technique, High Football IQ, and he’s a natural leader with good character.

(Credit: Alan P. Santos/DC Sports Box)

Sean Davis: Pittsburgh Steelers round 2. Davis put’s up ungodly numbers for a CB and was all over the field. He saw action in 50 games while at Maryland and started 40 of them. He finished his career with 319 tackles (10 for losses) 2.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, defended 14 passes and forced 7 fumbles; recovering 2 of them. NFL Draft Tracker had Davis listed as the 12th ranked CB in the 2016 NFL draft. We projected him as a safety and the Steelers snatched him up in the 2nd round. Immediately after drafting our other prospect, Artie Burns, whom they had listed as the 6th ranked CB.

Sean Davis has the height and length I look for in a defensive back… Super-human athletic ability and a physique that looks like it was carved out of granite… No stranger to the weight room… As good as I have ever seen in run support: it doesn’t matter where he is playing, safety or CB, he flies down hill with excellent closing speed and lays bone crushing hits on ball carriers… Has the upper body strength of a LB, speed and agility of a WR, and outstanding range… This kid makes plays all over the field… Effective blitzer… Tackle Machine… Extremely versatile: can line him up at CB, SS, FS, WLB or Nickle Back… Definition of a hybrid…

Sean Davis is very physical in man coverage… Has the size and strength to cover the big TEs… Above average vertical leaping ability… High-points the ball well and will fight for the jump balls… Good instincts and always around the ball… Has good vision when in zone and will use his quickness to fly down hill and jump the underneath routes… Has the speed to stay with receivers on go routes… Soft hands… Good change of direction, shifts gears and accelerates smoothly… Impressive upper body strength for a DB (21 reps)… Has good pop in his hands and can shed blocks to make plays vs the run… Sees the whole field and does a nice job of getting through traffic… Could use his speed, physicality, and open field tackling ability to be a special teams ace… Ball Hawk: 88 tackles from a CB is almost unheard of… 2nd in the nation for forced fumbles…

Keith Marshall: Washington Redskins round 7. Keith Marshall was the 5th prospect in our 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series. Despite having some horrible luck with injury, he is still the same guy Scout.com ranked a five-star prospect, the #1 RB and #12 overall player nationally.

Keith Marshall has a well proportioned muscular frame with powerful legs and above average upper body strength. He looks the part of an NFL RB. Brings the rare combination of both size and blazing speed. Has excellent vision and plays with patience. Sees the whole field and has the ability to find cutback lanes. Hits even the smallest hole with an explosive burst. Has the power to break tackles. Can make guys miss in the open field. Once he sees daylight, 99% of football players are not going to catch him at the 3rd level. Has the size and power to be a north south player and run between the tackles, but also has the quickness to get to the edge on stretch plays. Can make the one cut.

Keith Marshall has tight, decisive footwork and makes quick lateral cuts, with the ability to redirect and get back on target down hill. Powerful straight arm Effective as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Soft hands and runs good routes. Can be deadly on screens, hitches or shallow crosses. QB friendly and makes good reads on hots. Proved to be effective on deep routes, and was used in the red zone. Effective in blitz pick up. Has the length and upper body strength to direct blitzers away from the QB. Plays with good knee bend and has the lower body strength to anchor. Understands his assignments. Very intelligent (Honor Roll Student) football player who will pick up an NFL offense quickly. High Football IQ, solid work ethic and good character. Excellent fit in a Zone scheme. His speed would be valuable on special teams.

Charles Tapper: Dallas Cowboys round 4. Charles Tapper was the 7th prospect in our 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series. He earned All-American honorable mention honors from Sports Illustrated, and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by the league’s coaches, AP, ESPN.com and Phil Steele.

Charles Tapper has good size and length for the position… Natural power at the point and plays with good pop… Powerful bull rush… Fundamentally sound player… Knows his assignments, understands offenses and never out of position on a play… Able to contain and a good tackler… Can hold up at the point… Very long arms with (11 1/2″) clubs for hands… Plays with good arm extension, can stack and shed well… Excellent speed to close on the quarterback or chase down a play… Showed the ability to take on multiple blockers… Thick powerful legs that he keeps churning and runs right through blockers in one on one match-ups (Abused Cody Whitehair at the Senior Bowl).

Versatile: played the 5, base 4-3 defensive end and was moved inside… Nice spin move… Tenacious, non stop motor and always plays through the whistle… Gets his hands up to disrupt passing lanes… Excellent run defender… Moves well laterally along the line and can make plays all over the field… Good character, high football IQ, good work ethic… Prototypical strong side defensive end with the ability to play outside backer in a 3-4 and the potential to develop in to a top tier RDE…

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Tyvis Powell: The Seattle Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent. Powell has been in the shadow of media favorites such as Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Eli Apple , but what most fail to realize, is he was the one showing up in big games. In fact, he was the MVP of the 2014 National Championship Game vs #2 Oregon.

Tyvis Powell has the ideal combination of athletic ability, height and length for the position… Excellent straight line speed and the burst to close (1.59 10 yard split)… Rangy with good instincts and plays sideline to sideline… Has shown the ability to play in a zone or man coverage… Soft hands… High-points the ball well and will fight for it… Excellent ball skills… Uses his long arms to disrupt passing lanes when the receiver has a step on him…

Not afraid to come down and aid in run support… Decent hard hitting tackler… Knows how to get through traffic and uses his long arms to shed blocks… The Ohio defense requires athletic safeties who can man up on slot receivers and Powell was up to the task… Was effective when covering the big tightends… Set the tempo on the field… Team leader who kept the defense focused on the task at hand… High motor player with a solid understanding of the game, excellent work ethic and good character… His best attribute is always showing up at crucial moments in big games. Something Jalen Ramsey didn’t do…

(AP Photo/Michael Albans)

Jamaal Jones: Status unknown. Jones holds the record for career receiving yards at Montana with 3,021 in three seasons as a Grizzly. He was Montana’s leading receiver in 2015, catching 75 passes for a total of 1,217 yards his senior season: averaging 16.2 yards per catch, and 93.6 yards per game. He scored 11 touchdowns with a long of 74 yards. He amassed 184 career catches (3rd most in Montana history) for 3,021 yards. He scored 22 career touchdowns as a Grizzly. Jones started 39/40 games during his career at UM. He was voted 2015 team captain by his teammates… Named 2015 Steve Carlson Offensive Team MVP.

Jamaal Jones has decent size and length for the position. He has a well toned muscular frame and excellent upper body strength for a WR (19 bench reps). Excellent route runner. Smart player who understands protections. Good pass catcher with soft hands. He doesn’t use his body. Above average ball skills and body control. Never gives up on a play. Good sideline awareness. Physical and will fight for the ball. Good burst coming out of his breaks. Good change of direction skills, plants his foot, shifts gears and gets good separation. Tracks and high points the ball well. QB friendly. Can stop on a dime and run flawless comeback routes. Knows how to bait and deceive DBs. Not afraid to get involved as a run blocker and decent at it. Nose for the endzone and will fight to get there. Strong enough to break tackles. Has the ability to make guys miss in the open field. Versatile: also played RB and CB. High football IQ, Good work ethic, natural leader, team captain, smooth athlete. NFL Comparison: Keenan Allen

Scooby Wright: Cleveland Browns Round 7. Wright was Cas’ “Pet Cat” this year and is the perfect example of a stop watch determining where a player gets drafted. We have him as a top 10 talent in this draft and wont waiver from it. He is the meanest, nastiest and most physical MLB I have seen in a while. He not only terrorizes blockers, but punishes quarterbacks and ball carriers alike with his brutal style of play and bone crushing hits.

Scooby Wright won the Vince Lombardi Award in 2014 and was first in the nation in tackles (164), TFL (31), and forced fumbles (6). He was 3rd in the Nation with 15 sacks. Despite being a MLB, he was 9th in the Heisman voting.
Over the Course of his last 16 starts; Scooby Wright amassed 187 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 6 forced fumbles, 1 interception and was named a Consensus All-American.

But hey, there’s more. Scooby Wright won the Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, and the 2014 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award.

Unfortunately, Scooby Wright only suited up for 2 regular season games in 2015 as the result of an injury week one. Scouts wondered if he would return in his 2014 form following the knee/foot injuries, but he immediately put any doubts to rest by destroying New Mexico’s offense: he logged 15 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 2 sacks in Arizona’s 45-37 New Mexico Bowl victory. Following the game, Wright declared for the 2016 NFL draft in an emotional post game interview. To see the most feared Mike linebacker in the NCAA shed a tear was a testament to his passion for the game.

Scooby Wright has good size and weight with a thick, powerful upper body. No stranger to the weight room. Strong active hands that he uses very well. One of the best I have seen at getting through traffic. Excellent ability to shed blocks and get to the ball carrier. Nice spin move. Elite instincts and anticipation that he uses to time snaps perfectly and shoot the gap with an explosive burst to make plays in the backfield. Terrorizes blockers who approach him at the second level. Saw him literally throw blockers to the side. Solid form tackler. Breaks down, wraps up and takes on ball carriers head on. Excellent technique.

Scooby Wright has a very good motor and is relentless in pursuit of the QB. Can play sideline to sideline and is always around the ball. Has excellent ability to make plays in the backfield for a loss. Knows his keys and has impeccable read react skills. Has a good command of his defense and is a natural leader. Extremely versatile, can line up all over the field: was used as a rush end and has experience as an OLB as well. Extremely powerful at the point. High football IQ, exemplary work ethic and character. NFL Comparison: Jack Lambert

Kevin Hogan: KC Chiefs round 7. I maintain that this kid was the most NFL ready QB among all of the prospects. In 2015 Kevin Hogan completed 206 of 304 passes (67.8%) for 2,867 yards. 27 TDs and 8 INTs for a passer rating of 171.3. He was an All-Pac-12 second team selection and finished his career with a 36-10 record. Hogan added an additional 336 yards on 85 carries (4.0 ypc) for 6 TDs with his legs. He finished his career as the winningest quarterback in Stanford history (36-10 surpassing Andrew Luck) and was 16-6 vs top 25 ranked teams.

Kevin Hogan has the prototypical size and length scouts look for and arm strength is not an issue: he has a Howitzer… High Football IQ… Excellent leadership ability and work ethic… Shows a good command of the offense… Excellent pocket awareness, poise, and toughness… Will step up to make the throw knowing he is going to get hit…

Shows the ability to play outside the pocket while on the move… Does a nice job of sliding in the pocket to buy time… Shows the ability and willingness to make plays with his legs… Able to make all the throws… Makes throws in to tight windows with good anticipation… Has shown he can play out of the shotgun or under center… Above avg accuracy… His ability to throw with touch from a solid base is impressive… Excellent escape ability… Has the arm strength and velocity to spread a defense… NFL Comparison: Phillip Rivers

That concludes our first recap of the 2016 The Guys No One Is Talking About series. We will run periodic updates on their progress over the next couple of years. We wish all of these guys the best of luck in their careers and know that many, if not all of them, will make us proud. We want to give a warm welcome to Charles Tapper who is now the 5th prospect from our series to become a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

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